New Orleans area police briefs for Feb. 8, 2013

New Orleans area police briefs for Feb. 8, 2013

Meth lab discovered in Marrero home

Marrero — A conversation at a Marrero home Tuesday uncovered a clandestine methamphetamine lab, according to police.

Members of the West Bank Major Crimes Task Force reported they uncovered a clandestine methamphetamine lab inside of a home in the 400 block of Avenue E.

According to an arrest report, task force members conducted a “knock and talk” at the home after receiving reports of narcotics activity there. A “knock and talk” is when officers knock on a door and engage in conversation with residents with the hope of possibly discovering information that could lead to a search warrant or arrest.

The report stated that a woman who answered the door invited task force members inside, where they observed a man and woman leaving a rear bedroom. They also noticed several materials needed for methamphetamine production, like drain cleaner and lighter fluid.

Police: Man attacks pregnant woman

Metairie — A woman who is more than eight months pregnant reported being choked and smothered by her roommate in a Metairie hotel.

The woman told the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office that Patrick Kennedy, 64, ripped off her pants, choked her and forced her onto a bed at their hotel on Heart Avenue on Wednesday.

The victim said that when she tried to leave, Kennedy, who is from San Francisco, threw her on to a bed and tried to smother her with a pillow. Kennedy was booked with simple battery and false imprisonment after other guests at the hotel reported the woman’s screams for help.

Marrero man faces more charges

Gretna — A Marrero manalready accused of trying to entice young girls to commit sex acts for nail polish and of engaging in lewd behavior with a young boy was accused Wednesday of additional crimes involving a juvenile.

Accusations against Ory Brehm, 24, continue to mount, and he remains in custody at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, where he has been since June.

Brehm is now accused of kissing a juvenile girl and showing her lewd photos on his computer, according to an arrest report.

The girl, who now lives in Mississippi, said she initially reported the incident to Brehm’s mother, but she just admonished him to stop and said he does it all the time, the report stated.

Brehm was booked with indecent behavior with a juvenile and possession of pornography involving a juvenile.

Wrong-way driving ends in arrest

Kenner — A Destrehan woman was arrested in Kenner on Tuesday after authorities say she got high by “huffing” cleaner and then sped the wrong way down Williams Boulevard.

Ashleigh Sosa, 25, was booked with reckless operation of a motor vehicle and driving while intoxicated after the incident, which ended in the 3500 block of Connecticut Road in Kenner.

A witness reported Sosa fell asleep at the corner of Williams Boulevard and 34th Street in her vehicle.

When the witness tried to wake her, she sped off in her vehicle and drove south in the northbound lanes, the report states.

She later crashed, and when an officer examined her, she appeared intoxicated. Sosa’s blood-alcohol context was zero, but the officer found two aerosol cleaner cans beneath her seat that appeared to have been used.

Ex-girlfriend stabbed man, police say

New Orleans — A 23-year-old local reported that he was stabbed by his ex-girlfriend while sitting in a vehicle with his current girlfriend.

The incident was reported in the 3300 block of Clermont Drive, according to New Orleans police. The victim said that shortly before 10 a.m. he was sitting in the vehicle when his ex-girlfriend yanked open the door and stabbed him in the arm before fleeing.

Armed burglar discovered in home

New Orleans — Police are searching for a man who burglarized a New Orleans home and then pulled a gun on the residents when they surprised him in the act.

The incident was reported in the 2800 block of Bell Street shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday.

A man and woman returned to the home and entered a rear door, when they found an unknown black man inside the home. The victims said the man pointed a black gun at them before fleeing the residence.

Police book man, 31, in murder attempt

New Orleans — A New Orleans barber was arrested Wednesday after police say he shot at his girlfriend during an argument at their eastern New Orleans home.

Samuel McCullough, 31, was booked with attempted first-degree murder and domestic abuse battery. Police say that at about 11:20 p.m. they were called out to Branch Drive in eastern New Orleans after McCullough’s girlfriend reported that he shot at her.

She told police that she and McCullough were arguing in their bedroom when he became irate and began punching her in the face.

He then pulled out a gun from a nightstand and put it to her head, according to court records. He threatened to kill the victim, and when she reached for the weapon he fired one shot. The victim was able to escape, police said.

Sheriff: Teen carried gun on school bus

A parent called the Sheriff’s Office about 3:30 p.m. to notify deputies that his child saw another student carrying a gun in his backpack, Commander Eric J. Becnel said in a news release.

By the time the parent called authorities, the teen had already been dropped off at his home.

Deputies and a juvenile probation officer went to the teen’s home and spoke with him and his grandmother. Investigators found a Crossman .177-caliber pellet gun in the boy’s possession, but it resembled a .357-caliber Magnum revolver, Becnel said.

The 15-year-old and his grandmother went with detectives to the Belle Chasse Criminal Investigations Bureau, where he reportedly confessed to showing the weapon to two of his friends and bringing it to school. He said he had left the gun on the school bus the entire time.

The teen was booked with carrying a firearm or dangerous weapon by a student on school property in a firearm-free zone.

He remains in custody without bond and has a magistrate hearing set for 10 a.m. Friday.

Man shoots self after Slidell bank robbed

Slidell — A man suspected of robbing a Slidell-area bank at gunpoint Thursday afternoon shot himself when deputies found him in his vehicle in a nearby neighborhood.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office received a hold-up alarm from the Gulf Coast Bank, 1900 Oak Harbor Blvd., about 12:15 p.m. A 911 call was made to the Sheriff’s Office shortly afterward during which responding deputies were given a description of the robber’s vehicle, said Sgt. Sean Beavers, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

Deputies spotted the vehicle in the Kingspoint subdivision within minutes. When deputies tried to stop the vehicle, the driver shot himself in the head with a small-caliber handgun, Beavers said.

Deputies used the bumpers on their patrol cars to bring the driver’s vehicle to a stop.

The driver was brought to Ochsner Medical Center North Shore in Slidell before being transferred to Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans.

Witnesses told investigators the robber walked into the bank with a hoodie and mask and wore gloves, Beavers said. The robber showed a handgun, demanded money and received an undisclosed amount of cash.

Inside the vehicle deputies found a mask and gloves along with a handgun.

The driver wore a hoodie and was found to be carrying a large sum of money, Beavers said.